New York Fashion Week has long been the backdrop for many a designer debut, but a whisky brand’s fashion moment might just be the first. This month, Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky takes on a new dimension with the creation of a bespoke tartan inspired by the place the brand has called home for over two centuries—the rugged, windswept coast of Islay, Scotland.
Designed in collaboration with designer Simon Goldman and woven at Scotland’s storied Lovat Mill in Hawick “The Home of Tweed,” the release of the Lagavulin Islay Tartan marks the first collaboration from Goldman and Myles Kusaba’s newly launched creative studio, M&S Co., which reinterprets legacy brands as living cultural expressions. In this case, the tartan draws directly from the Lagavulin Distillery and the landscape surrounding it: Islay’s rolling green hills, deep brown peat soil, salt air, and Lagavulin’s six enduring copper stills.
The design process was rooted in visual research and storytelling, pulling from personal collections of vintage textiles, references to traditional Scottish forms, and emotional cues like smoke movement, erosion, and weathered surfaces. The goal was not to replicate a traditional tartan alone, but to build something that felt quietly expressive of Lagavulin: grounded in heritage, yet always finding fresh ways to share its liquids with the world.
We caught up with Goldman who offered us a glimpse into his design process, how the partnership arose and what he sees for it in the future.
Tell us a bit about your creative background.
Simon Goldman: “I grew up in Chicago, where my first job was in a motorcycle shop. I didn’t think of it as ‘fashion’ at the time, but I was surrounded by garments built for utility that also happened to be incredibly stylish. That tension between function and beauty is what drew me in. I started sewing when I was 14—taking weekend classes in pattern-making and garment construction at the Art Institute of Chicago. My first project was a patchwork flannel shirt, made from thrifted scraps, because I couldn’t afford the one I wanted in a store. Later, I studied fashion design in New York at Pratt, and spent my free time working as a pattern maker and sample maker for various designers, and producing runway shows. I’ve also facilitated fashion talks at the 92nd Street Y. Along the way, I’ve built a personal archive of vintage textiles, tailoring, and Ralph Lauren pieces, which continues to influence how I see clothing and design.
“What’s always stayed constant for me is the idea of clothing as a means of deep storytelling—every stitch, fabric, and silhouette has meaning. Over time, my work has evolved beyond just the article of clothing or the tailored piece itself, into thinking more strategically about the story that lives around it. The provenance of the textiles, the backgrounds of the people who stitch them together. That’s also how I think about the brands I collaborate with: it’s never just a product, it’s the cultural elements, the history, and the emotional resonance that shape how people experience it.”
How did this Lagavulin partnership come to be?
SG: “This collaboration started with a simple idea: Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky has a story worth wearing. Myles Kusaba, my creative partner, and I had frequently discussed how legacy brands can be reinterpreted as cultural objects through a modern lens, and Lagavulin was a natural fit. Myles has a long professional and personal history in the luxury goods and tailoring world, as well as a serious passion for whisky from Islay (the small island in Western Scotland where Lagavulin is distilled), so working together on this project was a perfect fit. The Lagavulin Distillery itself is so visually striking—from its windows to its copper stills to its position on the Islay coast. Working with Lovat Mill, we wanted to channel that world into a textile. It wasn’t about creating a logo pattern; it was about building a design language that belongs to Lagavulin and reflects the depth of the whisky itself.
“Lagavulin is a brand that already carries so much weight in culture, but it hasn’t always been expressed visually. This project gave us the opportunity to translate that legacy into a new medium, one that allows people to live inside the world of Lagavulin.”
What inspired you to design this particular tartan?
SG: “The design is rooted in the distillery and the landscape of Islay. The six subtle amber lines in the pattern represent Lagavulin’s six famed copper stills, used in the distillation of whisky. The strong framing lines echo the eye-catching windows of the distillery, a detail visible from the shore. The palette pulls from the island: earthy greens from the mossy cliffs, copper tones from the warm glow of the mash stills, dark browns represent peat, which gives Lagavulin it’s iconic smokiness, and ivory grey from the pale sand along the coast. Beyond those direct cues, the rhythm of the grid mirrors the balance of structure and atmosphere—a nod to both the precision of whisky-making and the organic movement of smoke and sea air. All of these elements combine organically to evoke the essence of Lagavulin.”
What do you see for the future of this design?
SG: “For me, the tartan isn’t just a single moment. It’s a foundation—a design language that Lagavulin can carry into different forms. It works in tailoring and apparel, as accessories, and even as an interior design element. Perhaps even some interesting utilitarian uses at the distillery itself, whether through distiller workwear or bottle label iconography. Already, we’ve pulled in so many friends from across fashion and design: tailors, mills, clothiers, paper makers, artists, embroiderers, photographers. Everyone brings their own craft into the fold, and the tartan takes on a new life in each of those hands.
“The long-term potential is limitless, but ultimately it will allow people to carry Lagavulin with them in ways that go beyond pouring a glass at home. Just like the whisky itself, you drink in the history—but the experience is very much of the present.”
Follow the journey of the Lagavulin Islay Tartan on Instagram at @LagavulinWhisky and @Simon__Gold.
Please do not share with anyone under the legal drinking age. Please drink responsibly. LAGAVULIN 16 Year Old Single Malt Scotch Whisky. 43% Alc/Vol. Imported by Diageo, New York. NY.
